Last year Suan raised money for Heifer International by selling adorable sheep and alpaca wooden cutouts. Those shapes are back as part of her Holiday Housewares Fundraiser! This year there are more animal shapes and even some in black or white acrylic. Additionally there are cookie stamps and rolling pins for adorable, fiber themed holiday treats, shop now!

A week from today we’ll be celebrating 10 years on the air! We’ll be broadcasting Live on Facebook as we record the show on Wednesday 11/2/16, be sure to tune in! We’ll be answering some of your questions in that episode, so let us know what you’d like to know! Just comment here and Steve and Kathy may answer YOUR question.

You’ve been reading about some of our new Spring yarns in previous blog posts and our staff has been busily swatching them to find out what they’re like. We make a determined effort to provide you with knitted and crocheted examples of all of our yarns, either through samples or swatches. Often a yarn knits or crochets much differently than you’d imagine from its appearance in the skein. And all of our swatches are washed (which can change the yarn’s appearance even more) to provide an idea of how your garment or accessory will hold up according to its care instructions.

This season, we present an array of weights and fibers! You’re bound to find a summer yarn that pleases you, even if you’re partial to animal fibers. The prize for most unusual fiber combination goes to Rowan’s Softyak DK, a blend of cotton, yak and nylon. Mary M. loved the chainette construction, and said the yarn has “excellent stitch definition,” making it “perfect for lace, cables or any other texture work. The yak transforms this summery yarn into a three season favorite.” Mary is thinking of using Softyak DK for one of the season’s popular t-shirts, tank tops or lightweight cardis.

Ashley F. chose to swatch Plymouth’s Cashmere de Cotone and she describes it as “soft cotton and dreamy cashmere coming together in a cable-plied construction that offers durability and amazing stitch definition.” Ashley declares that the yarn “was pure pleasure, and after blocking, the sample draped beautifully.” She would suggest using Cashmere de Cotone for a “year-round top or a sumptuous wrap, ideal for the changing seasons.”

Marthe Y. experimented with two very different yarns. Pima Splash from Mirasol is a “terrific choice for summer garments such t-shirts, tanks and beach cover-ups.” A colorful, worsted weight cotton, the chainette construction creates a lighter, more flexible fabric than other cottons in its weight class. Marthe’s swatch is 4.5 stitches to the inch on a US 8 needles and she suggests working the yarn on a slighter bigger needle for loose, springy fabric.

Marthe’s second swatch was knit in Euro Baby Maypole DK, a machine washable, 100% polyester yarn with a “self-striping effect, suitable for babies and children, due to its hypo-allergenic quality.” At 262 yards per skein, it wouldn’t take many balls to knit or crochet a baby blanket or child’s garment.

Beth D. opted for Juniper Moon Farm’s spring offering, Cumulus. She states, “Cumulus is everything its name implies – soft and fluffy like a puffy, white cloud on a summer day! This 100% cotton yarn is perfect for a cool, lightweight tank or tee, and because it is a heavy worsted weight, it’ll knit up in no time.” The vibrant color palette provides lots of options for the perfect warm weather project.

Although not a spring yarn, Malabrigo Rueca is a handspun dream. Beth says that “Rueca is a delight to knit with. In spite of the variations in yardage and gauge from skein to skein, its softness and stitch definition make this yarn a treat to use for a special gift or a little pick-me-up. And…it is dyed in some of Malabrigo’s most luscious colorways. Rueca is only available in the store so you must come visit to experience it!

As always, I invite you to spend a little time with us in Northampton this season. In addition to new seasonal yarns, we have an ever-changing variety of accessories, tools, buttons, patterns and sample garments to tempt you. Let WEBS be your LYS, wherever you call home. Thank you for your continued support of, and loyalty to, our store. We wouldn’t be here without you!

She shared some of the sheep with friends and has asked them to give folks an idea of how they could be used and decorated. Susan B Anderson has made some adorable sweaters and shared the pattern so you can make them, too! Mary Jane Mucklestone worked some fair isle magic, and there are lots more ideas on the Juniper Moon Farm blog, and on their Facebook page.

We decided we were all in a nostalgic 80’s kinda mood and dressed ours up with some leg warmers and headbands and a little glitter. Go get yourself a single sheep, or a set, or even a T-rex! Supplies are limited so grab them while you can, they’re only available through December 15th, 2015.

Every once in a while one of our wonderful customers will show up with a completed project, and today Carol L. came into the store with a fabulous finished Wedding Chuppah that was six months in the making. When we held it up she received a well deserved round of applause from our admiring staff and customers.

Carol took this project on to give to her son and soon to be daughter-in-law for their upcoming wedding which will take place in October. How did she do it and what did she use for yarn? She chose Juniper Moon Farm Findley, which is made up of merino and silk and has a generous yardage of 798! Carol ended up using almost 8 of these to create her masterpiece. For her pattern inspiration, she adapted patterns from the Victorian Lace Today book along with using charts from one of Barbara Walker’s incredible Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

In discussing Carol’s journey with her she said that when she was working on it she kept thinking of her grandmother and the knitted lace wedding gown that her grandmother made, and chuckling about the fact that when Carol asked her what pattern she used, her grandmother’s response was “Pattern, what pattern? You start at the neck; increase at the bust; decrease at the waist; knit as far down as you want; and you are done!” Very true, nicely put!

You all know how much I love lace projects after our last Dream in Color giveaway, so what a treat it was to see this project.

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Important Info: The Coastal Knits Book Signing and Trunk Show has been postponed until December 10th.

Guest: Susan Gibbs of Juniper Moon Farm shares her story with Kathy. She chats about her current flock and the new commercial yarn collection that she has created. Check out Juniper Moon Farm on our website – Findley, Willa, and Chadwick.

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Guest: Doris Chan talks with Kathy about crochet designs and more! Doris tells us how she started crocheting and designing in crochet. She also shares a little bit of her background – what she did before she became a crochet designer. You’ll find a new book from Doris in late 2012. You can find Doris at the Crochet Guild of America Conference in September.

Sock Summit preview – we’ll be in booths 502, 504, 506, 508. It opens Thursday, July 28th for students and for everyone else Friday, July 29th. We’ll have sock yarns, tools, accessories, and exclusive products just at WEBS. We’ll also have a new setup at this show. We’d love to hear what you think about it. There will be Sock Summit Plinko in our booth too! Make sure you wear your handknit socks and show them to us!

1. Knitting Lace by Susanna E. Lewis – More than just a stitch library, though it does feature a wide variety of common and uncommon lace patterns, this book goes further to teach you about the actual structure of knitted lace. A very good read if you’re interested in designing your own lace patterns. > Kirsten H.

2. Clover Knitting Counter (Mini Kacha-Kacha) – Best way to keep row count. Locks so it will not move. Great to attach to knitted garment so it’s right there. > Marion M.

3. Juniper Moon Farm Willa – I’ve never seen mohair like this! The super kid mohair in Juniper Moon Farm Willa is blended into the yarn, creating a soft hand and beautiful sheen instead of that familiar fuzzy mohair halo. The fresh, bright colors would be perfect for children’s projects…Who am I kidding, they’d be perfect for projects for me! > Emma W.

4. Sock Summit 2011 – WEBS will be at Sock Summit in Portland, OR next week! Stop by booths 502-508 and say hi to me, Cara, Kirsten & Tina! We’ll have an amazing selection of yarns from Madelinetosh, Malabrigo, Lorna’s Laces, Dream in Color, Shalimar Yarns plus our own Valley Yarns and many more! In addition to great yarns, we’ll be playing Sock Summit Plinko in the booth for some fun prizes AND if you stop by and are wearing a pair of hand knit socks, we’ll take a picture of your socks and add them to our Wall of Fame! Who will you be wearing?? Marketplace hours are Thursday 4:30-6:30 (registered students only) Friday & Saturday 9-6 and Sunday 9-4. Hope to see you there! > Kathy E.

5. Broomstick Lace Headband pattern by Sara Delaney – I used a skein of the Manos Maxima in the Chrysanthemum colorway, #9644 for the headband project in our recent Broomstick Lace class. The yarn is SO soft and squishy when worked up into the twisted broomstick loops and the color just sings! I may have to make these for everyone on my family for the holidays this year. > Sara D.